Argentina turns the tables on Egypt…and reaches the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup

Argentina, the defending champion, came back from afar and turned the tables on Egypt with a late three-pointer on Tuesday in Atlanta, depriving it of an unprecedented qualification to the quarter-finals of the North American Football World Cup.

Egypt was on its way to stripping Argentina of the title when it took the lead with goals from Yasser Ibrahim (15) and Mustafa Abdel Raouf “Zico” (67), but Argentina came back late with a hat-trick by Cristian Romero (79), the legend Lionel Messi (83) and Ansu Fernandes (90 + 2), noting that Messi missed the captain and missed a penalty kick in the 21st minute.

Argentina set a date on Saturday in Kansas City with Switzerland or Colombia, who will meet later in Vancouver at the end of the quarter-finals.

The Egyptian team played a strong match against the world champion, and succeeded in keeping up with the Argentine stars led by Lionel Messi, but the experience of “Tango” decided the confrontation in the decisive moments, continuing its journey in the tournament.

The match began at a fast pace from both sides, as the two teams exchanged attacks, before the Egyptian team was able to impose its style and threaten the Argentine goal on more than one occasion, amid remarkable brilliance from the back line elements.